39 replies to this topic

[cabianca]

On May 6, 1958, USAC announced that it was starting a sports car series that season. In the May 2-9 issue of Los Angeles-based MotoRacing, the story covering the announcement said an unofficial source said that the series’ Contest Committee would consist of Phil Hill, Luigi Chinetti and sports car entrant Allen Guiberson.  Does anyone know if this came to pass, and if not, who was responsible for the governance of the new 1958 series.

 

After the January 1959 USAC board meeting, William J. Smyth was named Chairman of the Series, with three geographical committees. Names mentioned were John Fitch, Rene Dreyfus, Paul O’Shea, Guiberson, Bob Estes and Lee Oldfield. Were there other committee members? Don Capps has said there is no information about this in the 1958 or 59 USAC yearbooks.

 

​My prime concern is whether the unofficial source is correct about Hill, Chinetti and Guiberson being the original contest committee in 1958.

Many thanks.

[RA Historian]

I wrote an article on the USAC series for Vintage Racecar magazine about ten years ago. In the course of research I contacted USAC for info. They supplied me with what they said was all that they had, and it was very limited. Essentially results boxes and points tables. Nothing about the governance. I suspect that they threw that away a long time ago.

 

Tom

[Jerry Entin]

 

Based on the 1958 USAC Yearbook:

 

Road Racing Division Committee

 

William J. Smyth, Chairman

 

Eastern Area

 

W. Russell Boss

George Constantine

Rene Dreyfuss

John Fitch

Lindsey Hopkins

Elisha Walker

 

Central Area

 

Ed Crawford

A.B. Lathrop

Lee Oldsfield

Rhiman Rotz

Paul O'Shea

 

Western Area

 

Allen Guiberson, Chairman

Robert Estes

Steve Mason

Truman Vencill

 

Apart from Smyth and Guiberson, no titles mentioned

 

 

 

All research: Willem Oosthoek

[Ray Bell]

Perhaps Phil Hill dropped out before things got underway because he was becoming more committed in Europe?

[DCapps]

To go back to Michael's question: Although there are names given for the Road Racing Committee, just how it functioned and what the members did regarding any governance of the series seems to be somewhat open to question. Yes, we can use some informed conjecture to make some assumptions regarding how the committee might have worked and what might have done, but that is not the same as having archival material supporting the actions/operations of the group. Similarly, how did the composition/structure of the group change over the years? Did the committee actually function as a contest board or as representatives of that form of racing? How were the racing rules of the series determined? By the committee as a whole or a specific group within its membership? These are just a few of the questions that should be addressed in my view.

[Ray Bell]

Don, might Bill Green be a good source?

[cabianca]

It is interesting that the names mentioned in the 1958 USAC Yearbook are the same as those in the 1959 USAC Board Meeting press release. I wonder if the 58 yearbook was published after the 1959 board meeting. In any case, it would seem that Phil Hill and Luigi Chinetti had no formal connection to the series. This is in keeping with the fact that Chinetti only entered two USAC events during the life of the series - Lime Rock, 7 Sept 58, Bruce Kessler 2nd in a Ferrari 860 Monza and Watkins Glen, 28 Sept 58 - Dan Gurney, 2nd in a Ferrari 290 MM, Bruce Kessler, 3rd in an 860 Monza.

 

Chinetti did rent a 300S Maserati for Pedro Rodriguez to drive in the 25 July 1959 USAC event at Lime Rock, but it was a one off drive and neither Chinetti nor the Rodriguez family owned the car.

 

Chinetti seems to not have cared for the USAC prize money structure or the format of the races, or both. Whatever the reason, the 1959 Lime Rock race was Chinetti's last foray in the series.

[Jerry Entin]

It is difficult to determine when the Road Racing Division details were compiled for 1958, but I can only assume it was toward the end of 1958/early 1959. The 1959 USAC yearbook contains the same information on names for this division as the 1958 one. In the 1960 yearbook no specific Road Racing officials are mentioned.

 

What struck me was that Russ Boss and Eddie Crawford were Briggs Cunningham drivers, and Briggs advocated pure amateur road racing in those two years, until he changed his mind in 1960.

 

 

All research: Willem Oosthoek

[cabianca]

A little more digging today produced the following results. In the May 6th 1958 USAC press release out of Indianapolis, officially announcing the Sports Car Series, Bill Smyth is named as Chairman and Duane Carter as Director of Competition. From this, I'm going to assume the 1958 lineup was very close if not exactly the same as the 1959 one listed above.

 

One thing that has occurred to me in this project. Although Eleanor von Neumann's Ferrari's won two USAC races in 1959, after that, Ferraris would not win overall in any of the first major pro road racing series, the USAC Sports Car Division, the USRRC or the Can Am.

[Jerry Entin]

As mentioned earlier, the 1958 and 1959 line-ups of the Road Racing division officials are identical, based on the USAC yearbooks for those years. As for Duane Carter being appointed Director of Competition in 1958, the 1958 USAC yearbook does not seem to agree.

 

Carter is only mentioned under Board of Directors, as Duane Carter, Speedway, Indiana [term to expire in January 1960]. No mention of Carter under Executive Committee, where Bill Smyth is listed. Of the earlier mentioned Road Racing division names, Bill Smyth is also the only one to appear under the heading Rules Committee. No sign of Carter here either, or under any of the other committees [technical, safety, etc].

 

In the 1959 yearbook Carter's name does not appear anymore as an officer in any of the committees. Palace revolution?

 

 

All research: Willem Oosthoek

[Michael Ferner]

Palace revolution?

Sorta. Carter resigned over a dispute with the board, I'd have to look up the particulars. He was replaced by Henry Banks.

[cabianca]

More questions arise. Why, after four events in 1958 were expanded to the eleven events of 1959 did it retreat back to 4-5 for the remaining years of the series? I understand ending it in 1962 because the SCCA was starting their first professional series in 1963, but what were the problems during the USAC series? Were the USAC sanctioning fees too much? Did the tracks have to pay too much in starting money to attract the big USAC stars? Were the cultural differences between the sports car people and the oval people disruptive? I notice that of the 14 different courses used, only 5 had more than one race and only Riverside was on the calendar each year.

Many thanks,

Michael

[Jerry Entin]

 

Michael is right. Henry Banks replaced him in 1958 and Duane Carter resumed his career as a race driver in 1959, the reason he is not mentioned as a official in the 1959 USAC yearbook.

 

 

All research: Willem Oosthoek

[RA Historian]

Cabianca raises some interesting points. I have my view on some of these questions, but do not claim that they are necessarily the answers. So many players from those days are unable to share their knowledge anymore, and the USAC series itself suffered from lack of reporting in those days.

 

Just for kicks let's look at the 1959 high water season of 11 races. The first race, Daytona, was not repeated. Could this have been because USAC washed its hands of the track after the disastrous Indy car race that year? Two fatalities on a track that USAC subsequently ruled as unsafe for its cars. That would have likely influenced the scheduling of a USAC RRD event. Pomona was sponsored by the Los Angeles Examiner newspaper, as its response to the previous October's hugely successful Riverside event sponsored by the rival Los Angeles Times. However, the Pomona fair grounds track was just not fit for this type of event and the Examiner moved it to Riverside for 1960 before they got out of the race game entirely. Meadowdale ran three events but lost money at all three. Why keep banging one's head against the wall? Lime Rock Park ran two. with a weak entry in one. I can only speculate that financial considerations led this track to exit the series. Riverside ran two. One, the LA Times GP, was hugely successful and carried on for years into the Can Am days. The other was in mid summer and was a promotion by the local Kiwanis organization. I can only speculate that two things combined to eliminate this particular event. One was the LA Examiner moving its event from Pomona to Riverside, thus causing the Riverside people to question the viability of having three such races in one year. The other is that the Kiwanis group found itself with little appetite to repeat the hassle of such an endeavor. Vaca Valley ran a race but may have found that it was not the financial boon hoped. Watkins Glen had the season closer, but none of the USAC series regulars showed up, leaving the race to Stirling Moss in the Yeoman Credit Cooper and a bunch of USAC midgets and local sports racers. I wish Michael Argetsinger were here to tell us what happened, but I speculate that the track's eye was focusing intently on getting a F-1 race and they felt that the best path to this was not through USAC.

 

Hanging over all of this, of course, was the open animosity between USAC and the SCCA with threat, counter threat, boycotts, suspensions, etc, flying around constantly. It was not an atmosphere in which a promoter wished to place himself.

 

Mind you, the above is just my own musings, and I make no claim that it is what actually happened.

 

Tom

[DCapps]

If one examines the points standings for the 1959 USAC RRC (page 86 of the 1959 USAC yearbook), the only way to make sense of several of the points that were allocated is that the Sebring 12 Hour race in March, held using the sanction of the USAC, was part of the RRC. Willem Oosthoek has suggested this and it seems to make sense. However, there is no mention of it in the listing of races in the championship the yearbook. Why?

 

Tom's comments on the 1959 season probably track with those of others regarding that particular season.

 

The larger issue in my view is that this is the sort of topic, governance by sanctioning bodies, that gets usually short shrift when it comes to research and analysis and the development of interpretations. It is "racing politics" and more often than not cherry-picked for whatever point the writer (or teller of the tale) might wish to make. Of course, those tales in and of themselves become part of the research & analysis, helping develop ways to interpret why they were told in the first place. Context, context, context. What sorts of internal conflicts within USAC were taking place? What role did those on the RRC committee/committees actually play in series? However were sanctions awarded? What about starting monies? What level of attention did the USAC board devote to the RRC? How did the relationships with the tracks & local clubs & national clubs affect the events? What archival material is there available for someone to draw upon?

 

As Michael suggests, just what role did cultural differences play in this?

 

At the moment, darned if I know any of the answers to these and a long list of others that I could suggest.

[Michael Ferner]

Sorta. Carter resigned over a dispute with the board, I'd have to look up the particulars. He was replaced by Henry Banks.

I have to correct myself here: Carter didn't resign, he was basically fired during USAC's board of directors meeting on January 17, 1959. His contract was up for renewal, and even before the meeting rumours leaked to the press that he was not going to be rehired, and that Harlan Fengler, Henry Banks and Ronney Householder were the most likely men to replace him.

Reasons for his dismissal are not easily explained, and the word "luckless" is perhaps an apt description of his three terms. There were a number of disputes between drivers, owners and promoters, usually about money (minimum purses and car counts were amongst the things discussed), and all the while the total number of races shrunk dramatically. By 1958, USAC was growing increasingly weary of his single-handed decisions and actions, like blocking the amalgamation of the regional Sprint car circuits into one National Championship, or his repeated suspensions of Ed Elisian, whom he appears to have waged a personal war against. This is mostly open-wheel stuff, which I usually concentrate on, but I do remember reading about a conflict involving a Sports car race, in which the promoter (Agajanian, I think) was highly critical of USAC and, especially, Carter, but try as I might I can't find it.

[Jerry Entin]

 

 

Here are the Points standings for the 1959 USAC races

 

all research: Tom Schultz

Edited by Jerry Entin, 03 December 2016 - 21:55.

[Jerry Entin]

[Jerry Entin]

 

 

all research: Tom Schultz

[cabianca]

I may have further comments, but for now, let's review what tracks held USAC SCD races and when.

Riverside 7. They took part in all 5 seasons with two races in both 1959 & 60. Obviously they must have made some money along the way

Continental Divide 3. 60-61-62.

Lime Rock 3. 58-59 with two in 59.

Meadowdale 3. All in 1959.

Indianapolis Raceway Park 2, 61-62.

Laguna Seca 2. 60-61

Watkins Glen 2. 58-59

Daytona 1, 1959

Elkhart Lake 1. 1960.

Hilltop Raceway 1. 1962,

Kent 1, 1962

Marlboro 1, 1958

Pomona 1. 1959,

Vaca Valley 1 1959,

 

While hardly complete information, I think this gives us some idea of who made money and who didn't. The next question is why did the series fail. It had a lot going for it - USAC vs SCCA drivers, and foreign vs US cars (especially the Scarabs). All the blame can't be laid at USAC's feet because they were simply a sanctioning body. Each race had some person or organization acting as the promoter and it seems most failed miserably. With over 70% of the tracks only holding 2 races or less, something was wrong. Obviously there were social issues - the tea baggers vs the roundy rounders. I've never read of how super the pre- or post-race  parties were at any USAC race with the exception of those at Riverside.

[cabianca]

While we're at it, why was Daytona on the calendar in 1959 and yet excluded from the points standings?

[DCapps]

While we're at it, why was Daytona on the calendar in 1959 and yet excluded from the points standings?

 

It wasn't. Check the results of the event and then look at the points standings...

Edited by DCapps, 05 December 2016 - 15:13.

[Jerry Entin]

Comparing the 1959 Daytona results with the USAC points score for that year leads to another conclusion.

All results list a T-Bird finishing 5th overall, raced by Fireball Roberts, Ralph Moody and Dick Rathmann. The USAC year-end score allocates points to Roberts and Moody, but there is no sign of Dick Rathmann. Rathmann did run both Indy-car races that weekend, but it is likely he did not take the wheel of the 5th place T-Bird.

All research: Willem Oosthoek

[RA Historian]

I may have further comments, but for now, let's review what tracks held USAC SCD races and when.
Riverside 7. They took part in all 5 seasons with two races in both 1959 & 60. Obviously they must have made some money along the way
Continental Divide 3. 60-61-62.

I do not believe that Continental Divide had a USAC race in 1962. They got burned badly in 1961 and were loathe to do it again.

[cabianca]

I do not believe that Continental Divide had a USAC race in 1962. They got burned badly in 1961 and were loathe to do it again.

RA Historian,

 

Was the race cited in the link below, simply an SCCA race? I notice Rodger Ward was there in the Leader Card Sportster (Porsche 550). Don't think he could have run in an SCCA event.

http://www.racingspo...07-02-9732.html

[raceannouncer2003]

Cabianca

 

The 1961 race cited in the link was a USAC race.  According to Martin Rudow's book, Lost Road Courses, SCCA refused to sanction the event.  Martin goes into quite a bit of detail on the SCCA/USAC battle as it related to CDR.  Apparently, another USAC race was planned for October of 1961, but it never happened.  Martin mentions three SCCA races in 1962, but no USAC race.

 

Vince H.

[RA Historian]

RA Historian,
 
Was the race cited in the link below, simply an SCCA race? I notice Rodger Ward was there in the Leader Card Sportster (Porsche 550). Don't think he could have run in an SCCA event.
http://www.racingspo...07-02-9732.html

That was the 1961 USAC race. I was referring to 1962, which had no USAC race.
Tom

[DCapps]

RE: Officials

 

The 1960 & 1961 USAC yearbooks do not have an separate listing of RRC officials. However, the 1962 edition has the following as members of the Road Racing Committee:

Rhimon Rotz -- supervisor

Charles Brockman

Walter Grear

Robert Laycock

S.A. Silberman

William J. Smythe

 

 

Generally, at least as far the RRC goes, the "Dick Wallen" USAC book is pretty much useless.

 

Until someone actually sits down and sorts out the points and the results for the 1959 RRC season (Good Luck! You will certainly need it!), we are just bumping into walls.

 

Which raises another question: Did USAC award points on finishing positions in heats for the RRC or the overall position? I would suggest that given that the USAC awarded points for heats in its other series, it did so in the RRC. Prize monies may have been distributed on the overall finishing position, but I am not so sure about the points.

 

Is this in the contest rules for the series?

[DCapps]

"The system of points is the same in all divisions recognized by the United States Auto Club." From Part V, Championships, Section 503, Point System, United States Auto Club Official Competition Rules, as of 1 May 1958. This is the only set of USAC contest rules I can find here at the IMRRC. Since the RRC was not announced until 6 May by USAC, alas, there is nothing in this edition of the contest rules

 

1st = 2 points per mile

2nd = 1.6

3rd = 1.4

4th = 1.2

5th = 1.0

6th = 0.6

7th = 0.6

8th = 0.5

9th = 0.4

10th = 0.3

11th = 0.2

12th = 0.1

 

There should be at least something in the 1959-1962 editions of the USAC contest rules that might give a better idea as to the governance of the series.

[Jerry Entin]

Don,

There is something funny about that "2 points per mile" rule when looking at the 1959 Daytona race and the 1959 points total.

Winners Antonio von Dory and Roberto Mieres won a combined points total of 1240 [724 for von Dory, 516 for Mieres]. Daytona was their only USAC appearance that year. Based on the above formula this meant they would have covered a combined 620 miles there.

Yet the race was flagged early because of darkness, after they completed 147 laps. Multiply by the track length of 3.81 miles gives us a race distance of 560 miles only.

It is possible they got credit for the originally envisioned distance of 1000 KM [164 laps]. Multiply by 3.81 and we get a race distance of 624.8 miles. Much closer to 620 miles, especially if the opening lap was over the tri-oval only [still unknown].


But what to think of the 5th place Thunderbird? Fireball Roberts and Ralph Moody had a combined total of 481 points in their only USAC race [374 for Roberts, 107 for Moody]. If 5th place finishers received 1 point for each mile, this means the T-Bird covered 481 miles.

The results list the car as having covered 138 laps. Multiply by the track length of 3.81 miles gives us 525.8 miles, quiet a difference from the points total. Was Dick Rathmann the third driver after all, but left off the points schedule by error?

Even if the points allocation was done on the original scheduled 1000 KM [the T-bird finished 5th, 9 laps behind the winners], it would be based on 155 laps. Times 3.81 gives us 590.5 miles and points, even stranger numbers.

All research: Willem Oosthoek

[DCapps]

1) The points are based upon the race distance, not the miles actually covered for each finishing position.

 

Example: 200 miles

1st = 400 points

2nd = 320

3rd = 280

etc.

 

Shared drives were scored the same as those for relief drivers, i.e,, done on a proportional basis on the distance covered per driver (...opening another potential can of worms...).

 

2) I think that barring any archival material from USAC, it would be safe to suggest that there is the distinct possibility of errors -- such as Rathman at Daytona -- could be found in the points standings. After all, Sebring is missing from the listing of RRC events in the 1959 yearbook. Only by attempting to align the points with the finishing positions -- a very difficult proposition at the moment -- for each driver in each event might some of these basic queries begin to be sorted out. I have yet to see anything resembling official results for most of these RRC events for 1959, despite once upon a time devoting much attention and effort to that end.

[RA Historian]

With USAC apparently dividing points for shared rides on the basis of how long each driver was in
the cockpit, I have to wonder about the outcome. That is, to expect USAC to accurately record how
long each driver was in the car is beyond my ability to comprehend. In other words, I would never
credit USAC with being that accurate.

Tom

[Jerry Entin]

I tend to agree with Tom, especially when it comes to the Sebring 12 Hours. For their 2nd overall Jean Behra and Cliff Allison both received 800 USAC points. Joakim Bonnier and Wolfgang von Trips got 700 points each for their 3rd overall, and co-winner Olivier Gendebien an even 500 for his shared victory. It all indicates even splits rather than how many miles each driver covered.

Alec Ulmann's ARCF wasn't the most reliable source anyway. Having studied their lap charts, drivers were often not mentioned or misidentified. For 1959 the official results show the 7th overall Ferrari driven by Jim Johnston, Ebbie Lunken and Gus Andrey, while Augie Pabst did the driving for owner Johnston. Did Augie get robbed of a number of points here? Whatever, he won the Championship anyway with the Scarab.

The 30th overall Abarth is listed as driven by owner George Schrafft, Jim Jeffords and Bob Kuhn, while according to Jeffords, Schrafft never took the wheel.

The 24th overall AC/Bristol is listed as driven by Lonnie Rix and Ed Rahal, while it was Rahal who took the start as Rix was injured in a pre race accident. Obviously the ARCF officials had no clue who was driven when in a number of cases, making it impossible to allocate miles to an individual driver.

Bill France's people did a much better job, as indicated by the points allocated to Fireball Roberts and Ralph Moody at Daytona, which seem to be based on individual miles.

As for the discrepancy in points versus miles covered by the 1959 Daytona winners, von Dory and Mieres also ran their Porsche at Sebring in 1959. They were among the early retirements, after only 34 laps. But USAC tended to allocate points on position, even if the car had retired. So it is possible that von Dory/Mieres received a few points for their lowly 59th place overall.

All research: Willem Oosthoek

[DCapps]

I tend to agree with Tom, especially when it comes to the Sebring 12 Hours. For their 2nd overall Jean Behra and Cliff Allison both received 800 USAC points. Joakim Bonnier and Wolfgang von Trips got 700 points each for their 3rd overall, and co-winner Olivier Gendebien an even 500 for his shared victory. It all indicates even splits rather than how many miles each driver covered.

Alec Ulmann's ARCF wasn't the most reliable source anyway. Having studied their lap charts, drivers were often not mentioned or misidentified. For 1959 the official results show the 7th overall Ferrari driven by Jim Johnston, Ebbie Lunken and Gus Andrey, while Augie Pabst did the driving for owner Johnston. Did Augie get robbed of a number of points here? Whatever, he won the Championship anyway with the Scarab.

The 30th overall Abarth is listed as driven by owner George Schrafft, Jim Jeffords and Bob Kuhn, while according to Jeffords, Schrafft never took the wheel.

The 24th overall AC/Bristol is listed as driven by Lonnie Rix and Ed Rahal, while it was Rahal who took the start as Rix was injured in a pre race accident. Obviously the ARCF officials had no clue who was driven when in a number of cases, making it impossible to allocate miles to an individual driver.

Bill France's people did a much better job, as indicated by the points allocated to Fireball Roberts and Ralph Moody at Daytona, which seem to be based on individual miles.

As for the discrepancy in points versus miles covered by the 1959 Daytona winners, von Dory and Mieres also ran their Porsche at Sebring in 1959. They were among the early retirements, after only 34 laps. But USAC tended to allocate points on position, even if the car had retired. So it is possible that von Dory/Mieres received a few points for their lowly 59th place overall.

All research: Willem Oosthoek

 

This would/could/might suggest that USAC used whatever the promoter provided in the sanction report, warts and all....

 

Given that points only went down to 12th place....

 

Currently at the Benson Ford Research Center at the Henry Ford Museum taking a look at the Phil Harms material. I was hoping that he had a set of USAC rules from the 1959-1962 era in the material, but so far I have yet to see anything at this point.

 

The Mysteries of the USAC RRC and especially the 1959 season continue....

[Jim Thurman]

This would/could/might suggest that USAC used whatever the promoter provided in the sanction report, warts and all....

 

Given that points only went down to 12th place....

 

Currently at the Benson Ford Research Center at the Henry Ford Museum taking a look at the Phil Harms material. I was hoping that he had a set of USAC rules from the 1959-1962 era in the material, but so far I have yet to see anything at this point.

 

The Mysteries of the USAC RRC and especially the 1959 season continue....

 

With the vagaries of points tabulation we've run across throughout racing history, at this point this is more expected than surprising. One even must consider the not uncommon practice of docking the points of a driver, which certainly caused head scratching when folks tried to cross-check and re-construct point standings. I think of Greg Fielden running across mysteriously missing points from 1950s NASCAR seasons until he'd stumble across an item mentioning the driver being stripped of points. I also think of your own work with the 1946 AAA points, where, IIRC, you ran across a few similar examples.  

 

I wonder if even USAC has rules from 1959-1962.

Edited by Jim Thurman, 13 December 2016 - 17:55.

[RA Historian]

With SCCA Pro Racing currently imploding, I was struck by the reverse happening 54 years ago.
USAC started the first pro road racing series in 1958. It ran through 1962 with more valleys
than peaks. It folded at the end of 1962 when SCCA entered the professional racing arena with
its USRRC series. Now here we are in 2016, and after all these years the pendulum is swinging
back the other way. Since the SCCA came out second in a political battle with other sanctioning
bodies in 1999, they have farmed out most of their pro series to outside vendors, mostly on a
licensed basis. Now in the past month or two, everything has blown up in their faces. First, they
hacked off Mazda when they started the Honda based F-4 series, and Mazda has moved its Battery
Tender Pro MX-5 series to Indy Car sanction with Dan Anderson's group. Then last Friday the
people behind Pirelli World Challenge moved that series from SCCA, where it has been since its founding
in 1990, to USAC sanction. Then yesterday three minor SCCA pro series, the east coast based Pro Atlantic,
FF-2000,and FF-1600, also announced that they are jumping from SCCA to USAC. This leaves SCCA Pro
Racing with just the Trans Am, which has been farmed out since 2001, and the obscure, who has ever
heard of them, F-Lites and F-4 series. I think we are seeing the end of SCCA Pro Racing.

Where this fits in this forum is that we are seeing the reverse of the USAC implosion of the early
1960s. This time the flow is in the opposite direction. In a way, history repeats itself.

Tom

[DCapps]

For what it might be worth, I was unable to unearth a USAC contest rules book covering any one of the years from 1959 to 1962 in the Phil Harms Collection here at the Benson Ford Research Center. Certainly, there must be some out there somewhere? Perhaps, there are even copies of the USAC bulletins, memos or notes on the RRC series lurking out there in the hinterlands.

[cabianca]

A little more digging today produced the following results. In the May 6th 1958 USAC press release out of Indianapolis, officially announcing the Sports Car Series, Bill Smyth is named as Chairman and Duane Carter as Director of Competition. From this, I'm going to assume the 1958 lineup was very close if not exactly the same as the 1959 one listed above.

 

One thing that has occurred to me in this project. Although Eleanor von Neumann's Ferrari's won two USAC races in 1959, after that, Ferraris would not win overall in any of the first major pro road racing series, the USAC Sports Car Division, the USRRC or the Can Am.

I must correct myself, not an uncommon occurrence. I state above that Ferrari never won in either the USRRC or the Can Am. I am correct about the latter. However, in the USRRC, Roger Penske won the GT race at the Pensacola round in 1963 (first or second round of the year depending on where one stands re Daytona). In 1964, Hansgen and Pabst won the Road America 500 in Mecom's Ferrari 250 LM. These were the only Ferrari victories in the six year life of the series.

[heidegger75]

Alec Ulmann's ARCF wasn't the most reliable source anyway. Having studied their lap charts, drivers were often not mentioned or misidentified. For 1959 the official results show the 7th overall Ferrari driven by Jim Johnston, Ebbie Lunken and Gus Andrey, while Augie Pabst did the driving for owner Johnston. Did Augie get robbed of a number of points here? Whatever, he won the Championship anyway with the Scarab.

 

 

I wondered about that particular question myself back in 2010, back when we first realized that Sebring did award points towards the Road Racing Championship. A closer look reveals that Johnston, the car owner, received 200 points, even though I don't recall seeing any set of results suggesting that he actually drove in the race.

 

What I now think happened is that, in this particular case, USAC went by the entry list, awarding 200 points each to Johnston, Lunken, and Pabst, the three drivers named to the car on the entry list. So it wasn't Pabst who got robbed; it was Gaston Andrey, who is listed in 60th place with 180 points when he should be in 30th place with 380.

 

I think this is what happened. I doubt that there is any good reason why the points were awarded in this way, especially since Bill Kimberly, named on the entry list in the 6th place #12 Ferrari shared by Martin and Reventlow, received no points when he did not drive in the race.

[WINO]

I have most of the Sebring lap charts of those days and it is clear [with hindsight] that in a number of cases the organizing ARCF had no idea who was actually driving the cars. Clearly a case of new drivers hopping in for some reason, without informing the officials.

 

In the case of Bill Kimberly, he was an official substitute driver, something likely not stipulated with Johnston.

Edited by WINO, 13 August 2024 - 22:51.